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Reflections

Category: Lift Every Voice Book Club

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The Blessings of Our Ancestors + Prayer Cycle ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

The Blessings of Our Ancestors*This blessing calls you home againto your collective inheritance of blood and bone,calls you to dance with generationswho shimmer beyond the veil.We call on the great cloud of witnesses,the ones who inspire our courage,support our endurance,kindle our joy, whisper words of hope.May the wise and well ones,who are vibrant and radiant with healing,who have stepped into the expanse of lovewithout hesitation, whose hearts are open wide,shower you with their blessingso you know your ancient inheritance.Stand at a thresholdand whisper some of their names,grandmothers and grandfathers,back through hundreds and thousands of years,prayers and supplicationsfor all that helps

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November 8, 2026

Women Mystics & Ancestors + Prayer Cycle ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, Tomorrow I start teaching a 4-week e-course on practicing with medieval women mystics for the lovely team at Spirituality & Practice. Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, Mechtild of Magdeburg, and Hildegard of Bingen will be our focus and each week brings a set of practices to help encounter their wisdom and deepen into our relationship with the holy.  The period of time in Europe, especially between c. 1000 and c. 1600, saw a flourishing of mystical experiences in both men and women. We have the stories and texts composed by many of these women left

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November 1, 2026

Celebrating 20 Years! ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims, On Monday, April 27th we will be gathering for a 20th anniversary celebration online! We would love for you to join us. We will be sharing some stories from how Abbey of the Arts ripened over the years and some of our lovely musicians will be there to offer the gift of song.  The official date of the 20th anniversary is May 2nd but John and I will be getting ready to welcome some of our Wisdom Council members to Galway, where we live in Ireland, the next day. We are thrilled to have several beloved members joining us to

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April 19, 2026

When It Feels as if the World Is Ending ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

When It Feels as if the World Is Ending*Holy Ground of Love,the world so often feels as if it is endingwith news of wars raging, children dying,fires burning, floods rising—so much suffering, so much cruelty.My heart feels like a tree rotting away,my throat is full of gravel,my gut a boulder,my eyes swollen with tears.With the future tangled with so much loss,it all feels impossible.Bless all those who are sufferingbecause of injustice, loss, and greed.Ease their painand grant them a vision of new life.Bless me with clarityto remember that your love is the foundation.Bless me with guidanceto be a vessel of

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March 1, 2026

The Year Ahead at Abbey of the Arts ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims,  We hope you have had a restful and inspiring summer. We always cherish this time of quiet reflection and dreaming into the new academic year of programs. I have savored having some time to simply be and deepen into the sacred rhythms of life. Out of this wellspring of rest, flows forth our calendar for the coming months which you can find here.  Special thanks to our always amazing program coordinator Melinda Thomas for her wonderful work putting that together. So much happens at the Abbey due to her efforts! I am excited for the variety of

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August 3, 2025

End of Year Giving

Your donations help us make what we do fully accessible to all who desire to be a part of this virtual monastery and gathering of kindred spirits. It is because of your generosity that we are able to offer many free resources – such as our prayer cycles, book club, and scholarship fund – to nourish everyone, regardless of financial capacity. Your donations to Abbey of the Arts also help fund free and reduced fee options on our sliding scale for programs, as well as offer additional scholarships to all who are in need of greater financial support.  Read about our commitment to

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December 13, 2024

Soul of a Pilgrim Video Prayer Cycle Day 7 ~ A Love Note from Your Online Abbess

Dearest monks and artists, Today we release the final day of the Soul of a Pilgrim video podcasts on the theme of Coming Home. We hope you enjoy these resources which we offer as a free gift to this wondrous community. If you are able to offer financial support so we can continue creating these resources, please click here. We are enormously grateful for all of your support in so many ways.  I am pondering this pilgrimage theme of coming home in light of our featured book for the Lift Every Voice book club this month, Hurting Yet Whole: Reconciling Body and Spirit in Chronic Pain and

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June 16, 2024